Minnow.



J. E. WALTERS. minnow. APPLIOATION FILED JUNE 22, 1909.

96 9,014. Patented Aug. so, 1910.

107m Elmer- Wzlzkns' wihnmo double hook.

which passes a UNITED STATES PATENT oFFioE.

JOHN E. WALTERS, or mans, 01110.

MINNOW.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 22, 1909. Serial No. 503,660.

and embodying a fish or minnow-like body,

and a spring hook concealed for the greater part withinsaid body andadapted to be revused by the fish in the act of grabbing the minnow orbait, thus causing the same to be thrown outward automaticall so as toproject in position tobe drawn into the mouth of the fish.

A further object of the invention is to provide a trigger of suchconstruction and relation to the body of the bait that it may be used asa lever to pry or force the spring hook to itsset and concealedposition.

With the above and other objects in view, the nature of which will morefully appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists in thenovel construction, combination and arran ement of parts as herein fullydescribed, lllustrated and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings:Figure 1 is a longitudinal section throughthe device, showing the hook set in full lines and sprung in dottedlines? Fig. 2 is a cross section through the same, taken in line withthe trigger pivot. Fig. 3 is a. detail view of a In the drawings,designates the body of 'the minnow or artificial bait, the same resembling a minnow or small fish being hollowed out or recessed as shownat 2 to form a cavity or\ s1ot in which is mounted ahook 3. The hook 3is. provided with a spring shank 4 and also with a spring coil 5terminating in a shank 6 inserted into and through the head portion ofthe fish and secured or fastenedtherein in any convenient manner. At theback of the hook there is a projecting lip 7 beneath which the point 8of a trigger 9 is adapted to engage. This trigger 1s provided with aslot 10 through ivot 11 carried by oppositely arranged ugs 12 extendingupward from the back of the fish as illustratedin Figs. 1 and 2, theslot 8 admitting of a slight longitudinal movement of the triggerdisplaces the trigger 9 so that it'may bereadily engaged under the lip-7of the hook. .The opposite or forward extremity of the trigger 9 isadaipxted to be carried and engaged beneath a ed catch 13 secured to thehead of the minnow or bait. It is also contemplated t0 the hook with oneor more additional barbed points asshown in Fig. 3, 3designating themain hook and 3 a su plemental or auxiliary hook located a suitabledistance from the main hook. The bait may also be proided at one or bothends with spoons or "whirls 14 and is preferably provided at the forwardend with'an eye 15 at the end of the shank 6 adapted to receive asuitable swivel 16 on the end of'the line 17 In the preferred embodimentof this invention, the

' hook is alsoprovided adjacent to the lip 7 with a shoulder 18 whilethe trigger is provided with a toe or projection 19 which, as.

shown in Fig. 1, acts against the shoulder 18 as the trigger arm 9 ispressed inward to slide the point 8 of the trigger outfrom under thelip'7 of the hook thereby effecting a release of the hook and permittingthe same to spring outward to the dottedline position shown in Fig. 1.This prevents the trigger arm 9 from flying outward and makes the deviceas a whole very compact By pushing the hook e upward within the slottedbody of the bait and sliding thetrigger 9 rearward, the point 8 of thetrigger may be engaged under the lip 7 on the book after which byrocking the trigger from the dotted line position of Fig. 1 to the fullj line position in the same figure, the hook is. carried u ward untilthe point of the hook is entire y concealed and inclosed within the bodyof the bait, as shown by full lines in Fig. 1. A fish in rasping thebait,

catch 13 and thereby releases the hook which swings to its projectingposition, thus driving the point of the hook into the mouth of the fish.

vI claim y 1 1. In artificial bait, a fish-like body having a recesstherein, a spring hook mounted within said .recess' having a normalspring outward'from the recess to a projecting position, a lip'on theshank of the hook, and a combined trigger and lever arranged exteriorlyof and fulcrumed on the body and ada tedto'engage the'lip on the hookfor hol ing the point of the hook within the Patented Aug. 30, 1910.

provide om beneath theplane of the body, the said trigger being alsoadapted by inward pressure thereon to release the hook, substantially asdescribed.

2. Artificial bait comprising a fish-like 5 body provided with a recesstherein, aspring hook mounted in said recess and provided with a lip onthe shank thereof, a trigger pivotally mounted on the outer side of thebody and adapted to engage the lip of the 10 hook, and means on theouter side of the body for retaining the trigger in engagementwith thelip of the hook, the trigger being adapted upon being pressed toward thebody to release the hook, substantially JOHN E. WVALTERS.

Witnesses:

E. SWETLAND, A. C. LODWICK.

